[pustake]

Hi All,

Finally booked Taigun Topline 1.0 AT (Carbon Steel Grey). Should be getting the vehicle delivered in couple of weeks. Eagerly waiting for it
Will post my overall SA experience soon!!!

[PRS7]

My new VW Taigun

Dear all,

Here's my review first post on this esteemed forum.
This is a summary on my buying and short term ownership experience of the new VW Taigun GT Plus DSG.

Car selection and finalization:
Had been on the look out for a new car since March 2020 to replace my first car and trusted steed, a 2008 Wagon R Lxi Petrol in silky silver, which is still going strong and now chillaxing at my hometown in Thrissur, Kerala, after 13 plus years of trustworthy service (no breakdowns in her lifetime yet).
Wanted to go for a performance compact SUV (my passion) with an automatic transmission (mandate from dear wifey) keeping in mind the highway runs from Hyderabad to Thrissur on vacations and also future tour programs pan India.
Had finalized the 2020 Jeep Compass Longitude diesel AT and made the booking too. Sadly this was later called off due to Covid induced financial surprises.
Come 2021, we still tried to go for the JC (facelift). This time the limited diesel AT. Once again it was put off due to various reasons of which the primary one being the price touching 33 lacs OTR.
With a heavy heart decided to put a step back and go for the crowd favorite. The Creta diesel SX opt. Made the booking in Oct 2021. Time passed and lead time predictions extending every other week, started to get on our (Me and wifey) nerves. Also the thought of spending 21 big ones on a common car with undesirable safety credentials was lingering in the back of my head.
Did not consider the Kushaq due to the problems reported at that time and also did not personally like the looks of it.
Made enquiries for T-Roc in November, however I was late since the car went out of stock forever.
Dealer then suggested me to have a look at the new Taigun.

VW Taigun
Went for a test drive for the GT plus 1.5 DSG.
Absolutely loved the ride, handling and power on command of this beast, although some omissions like no ventilated seats, no electronic handbrake, were sore points, which I chose to ignore in a trade off for having a better engineered product at this price point, with some amount of ownership exclusivity.
Went ahead and booked the curcuma yellow color as this was the most liked one by me and wifey. Although we liked the red too, but were put off by the red gloss dashboard in that variant.
Got the delivery of the car in 2 days (yes you heard it right.)
The car just rolled out of the factory and came straight to us at VW Hitech showroom at Hyderabad as understood from the VIN.
The customary puja was done and we brought the beast home.

Initial ownership observations
The Taigun feels impressive with 1.5 DSG just powering through on demand with smooth handling. Suspension is stiff on bad patches. Cabin insulation is quite good.
Audio setup leaves a lot to be desired if you are into refined music experience. For me it is good enough.
Infotainment system meets expectation with Apple carplay working without fuss each time I turn on the ignition.
Coming to the most important question "kitna deti hai"
The Taigun returns an impressive 12 to 13 Kmpl in Hyderabad city runs on average speeds at 25 to 30 KMPH.
The ACT is seldom called in to action due to constant braking needed due to
DJs (diagonal jackass - one who cuts diagonally across from one side of the road to the other in front of you without warning)
Was not able to stretch its legs on a Highway run yet, so cannot comment on the mileage returned at higher speeds. However, I feel it will be significantly higher due to ACT combined with cruise control.
I will surely update on that through my upcoming travelogues with this yellow beauty.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by PRS7

GT plus 1.5 DSG.

Many congrats PRS7! That's a beast of an engine. We had a lovely time during the brief test drive. I suggest you take it slow for the first 1000 - 2000 km and let the engine run-in. Hope you've taken the extended warranty too? Please consider opting for the longest EW you can for the sake of the DSG and peace of mind.

Nice to see the entire family twinning in the car's shade.

[shifu]

Originally Posted by PRS7

future tour programs pan India.
....
....

I will surely update on that through my upcoming travelogues with this yellow beauty.

Congratulations PRS7. Wish you lakhs of kms of niggle free ownership!

As a fellow Hyd'badi (and a fellow VW patron), will be interested to hear about your pan India tours. I see you are a Newbie and cannot DM yet. But once you are able to do, please DM me and we can synch up

[PRS7]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Many congrats PRS7! That's a beast of an engine. We had a lovely time during the brief test drive. I suggest you take it slow for the first 1000 - 2000 km and let the engine run-in. Hope you've taken the extended warranty too? Please consider opting for the longest EW you can for the sake of the DSG and peace of mind.

Nice to see the entire family twinning in the car's shade.

Thank you ! your suggestion is well noted. EW is in indeed in place but hope I never have the need to exercise it

Originally Posted by shifu

Congratulations PRS7. Wish you lakhs of kms of niggle free ownership!

As a fellow Hyd'badi (and a fellow VW patron), will be interested to hear about your pan India tours. I see you are a Newbie and cannot DM yet. But once you are able to do, please DM me and we can synch up

Thank you! Surely will catch up with you to plan some exciting drives in the future

Originally Posted by shifu

Congratulations PRS7. Wish you lakhs of kms of niggle free ownership!

As a fellow Hyd'badi (and a fellow VW patron), will be interested to hear about your pan India tours. I see you are a Newbie and cannot DM yet. But once you are able to do, please DM me and we can synch up

Thank you! Will surely catch up with you in future!

[TurbochargedT]

Originally Posted by PRS7

Here's my review first post on this esteemed forum.

Congrats! Loving that the family is color coordinated to match the Taigun for delivery. Wishing you lots of happy kms.

[PRS7]

Originally Posted by TurbochargedT

Congrats! Loving that the family is color coordinated to match the Taigun for delivery. Wishing you lots of happy kms.

thank you ! was tough to match the exact color, but we did our best

[TurbochargedT]

Originally Posted by pustake

Finally booked Taigun Topline 1.0 AT (Carbon Steel Grey). Should be getting the vehicle delivered in couple of weeks. Eagerly waiting for it
Will post my overall SA experience soon!!!

Congrats! I got mine a week back in the exact same color and engine/gearbox option - she's a looker. The Carbon Steel Grey is almost black if parked in shade and during the evening/night but when in the sun it is a beautiful deep grey unlike I have seen in other cars. The chrome on the front really pops on this color and makes it look classy.

I am evaluating and planning to get a paint sealant or ceramic coating done this week as I want to preserve the color for as long as possible.

[poloman]

Very happy to see so many Taigun bookings and deliveries in this thread. On top of that most owners seem to be satisfied with their purchases.

Despite few cost cuttings in latest offerings, VW cars are really built to last and always bring a smile on your face when you look at them and when you drive them.

This car has real potential to sell above 5000 units per month. The problem with VW is that their cars sell mostly in cities with very poor penetration in semi urban and rural India

[Sayan]

Originally Posted by Gokrish

How to use Jio Dongle in Taigun Car

I don’t know how many have been using Jio dongle found in Taigun Car for Wi-Fi connectivity.
However, for the uninitiated, the following are the steps to be followed to activate the same.

1. Install JioMotive app from Play Store or App Store

2. Use the same mobile number that was used for My Volkswagen Connect app to activate this app too. If you are not using My Volkswagen Connect app, then use the mobile number that was given to the dealer at the time of car registration. Once the JioMotive app is activated, the initial screen is displayed as shown below.
Attachment 2266308

3. Select your name & vehicle number displayed at the top as indicated by the arrow above in point#2

Attachment 2266306

4. In the screen shown in point#3 above, select “Manage” under Wi-Fi settings
Attachment 2266307

5. Under “Manage Device”, switch on Wi-Fi. SSID and Password details can be found on the screen. Use this credential for connecting car Wi-Fi.
6. No need to use the mobile hotspot to download apps or to listen to Gaana.

Thanks a lot. This works on my Kushaq as well. Any idea how long this data plan will last? Will there be a need to recharge at periodic intervals?

[throttleflick]

I've recently completed 1000kms on the odo. My Dominar is called Vladimir while I decided on Akula for the Taigun. Both these names are spoken in my mind, my mother makes fun of me when I address these vehicles by their given names. She completely relates to the "My mom asked me to carry a potted plant with me at all times to compensate for the amount of oxygen I waste" meme and keeps poking fun at me for naming my vehicles.



Swagat service experience
I completed a month of ownership on the 9th of Feb and the service center folks at VW Nerul wanted me to drop by for the Swagat Service.

The ODO was around 864km when I went in. I reached the service center around 10:30 in the morning and the car was taken in 15 mins later. Service advisor asked me to get the car disinfected before taking the car in.

He also told me that they'd be disinfecting the car before delivery. I thought this might be in line with the COVID protocols VW might have setup for the service centers and asked him if this was a part of the free service itself. To which, the SA told me I'd be charged 1.4k for this. I tried to bail out of this but he insisted that this was mandatory.

My sales advisor was on leave but was kind enough to pick up my call and tend to the enquiry about the mandatory disinfection. He said it's a month old car and I don't really require the disinfection. A quick call to bhpian thisissoumya also cleared my doubts about the disinfection. I told the SA that I won't be paying for the disinfection and they better not do it. He obliged to the request.

The SA took no initiative to explain what would be checked during this free service. Upon asking, he told me that they'd check the fluid levels, connect the VCDS to check for errors if any, clean the car and deliver it to me. All of this would take about 2-3 hours. A copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban kept me occupied while the service folks did (or didn't do) their job.

Oh I informed the SA that I was facing door squeaks when the car was in motion, particularly over speed breakers. This was resolved by the service folks by applying some silicon lubricant.

The service center was facing some glitches in their billing software and network so I was given the receipt over email, while a handwritten receipt was given as a gate pass for the security to let me take the car.

I've always had a bad experience with servicing my vehicles. Bajaj ruined it for me with their Lower Parel, Thane and their long shut Borivali A.S.S. I didn't have high hopes with the VW service to begin with and, I wasn't proven wrong.

I was handed the keys to a washed car with water marks on the windshield, windows and ORVMs around 3:15, asked them to clean it properly. Wheels weren't as clean but they did end up polishing the tyres. The SA wasn't aware about the Swagat kit, his superior asked me to give the same. This kit contains a shampoo and windshield washer fluid.

I waited in the customer lounge for about 4 hours to get these checks done.
The buying experience was exceptional for me, but the service experience was sub-par. Can't thank bhpian thisissoumya enough for recommending the VW Autobahn dealership in Nerul.

Blacked out roof:
I always had plans to get the roof wrapped in black. This was my plan with the Polo and I thought that the Taigun would look cool as well with a black roof. Currently, only the GT variants get the roof (painted?) in Carbon Grey. SA had arranged this for me on the swagat service day itself and, I took the car to the dealership and got the roof wrap done by them. Took around an hour and I'm happy with the way it looks.



Owning the Taigun 1.0 AT.
After spending more than a month with the Taigun and completing 1k, I finally was able to enjoy the 1.0 TSi. Floor the pedal and the car just pulls like it's trying to escape dementors.



Audible scraping noise after slowly going over a potholed road:
One incidence managed to scare me a little on my drive to Sula vineyards where, after negotiating a potholed road just outside Sula, there was an audible sound of something scraping coming from the front wheel. I parked the car, turned the steering to left and right and checked if I'd hit something. There wasn't anything fishy although, I was quite concerned about the sound popping up again on my return journey to Thane. It put a dampener to the Sula experience and I was eager to get back to the car and check if it made the sound. I was thoroughly relieved to hear nothing but my water bottle rubbing against the bottle holder.

Engine cranks but won't turn:
I've faced an issue for a total of three times till now where, after pressing the start button and brake pedal, the car keeps cranking for a while. I then have to press the start button again with the brake pedal and then the engine turns on. These three instances happened during cold starts.



Fuel and fuel efficiency:
I've been driving the car in and around Thane. The ODO reported fuel consumption on one instance was 15.6km/l but I'm sure I've been getting around 12-13km/l for a mixed of highway and city driving. Upon delivery, I'd topped off the tank with XTRA Premium but switched to XP95 for subsequent tank fills. I'm happy with the way the car drives on XP95. The accelerator input feels so good that I have to exercise control over the foot to not rev harder. You can see bhpian thisissoumya's Lapiz Blue Polo HL MT in the below picture.



Drive comfort:

is okayish I think. As a driver though, I haven't found a perfect driving position. That is something that bothers me on long drives. And these 250km round way drives aren't exactly long either, so it makes me question how comfortable will I be on 500km + drives. My lower back starts hurting after a while, I constantly end up adjusting my posture while driving and my bottom aches as well. All that, and it kinda bothers me that my left leg is left with nothing to do than just hang around and chill. Nevertheless, I'm glad I added a car and not a cruiser to my garage.

Creature comforts:
Air con somehow is a bone of contention for most of potential buyers and I've found myself sufficiently pampered in the car with the AC set to auto and the temperature set between 20 and 24. I love the ventilated seats. I absolutely love them. My mother who is the primary passenger loves this feature as well.

The hand rest extends towards the dashboard and provides ample surface to rest my elbow. The space underneath the hand rest could have been better though. I find the inclusion of two usb c ports useful for charging up my phone. I also keep using the wireless charger quite a lot. It's not the fastest wireless charger but I'm happy with it regardless.

Apple car play is another great feature inclusion. It does disconnect after a while, although I suspect this only happens when I'm traversing through one specific location in Thane. Not sure if this is network related or software. Haven't installed the inbuilt apps as Apple Carplay has everything I need from the ICE system. My audio expectations are also catered to properly with the speakers blasting decent sound if I have to mute my mother rant about me and let Kishore Kumar or Agnes Obel take over.

The My VW Connect app is crap. No point wasting words talking about it.

Oh the ORVMs. They are a tad disappointing with the amount of area they cover. I asked my sales advisor if they could upsize it to the ones which come standard on the Tiguan and I kinda knew he'd say no. Using them while making a u-turn induces fear inside me and I have to crane my neck to double check for bikes. There have been incidences where a biker has apparated next to me and I've had no clue about them being next to my car. Right hand rear view is still fine, the left side is the most concerning. If the front seat is occupied, it becomes a bit difficult to check on the oncoming traffic while making u-turns at traffic signals.

Reversing camera is sub par. But I'm kinda glad it is there as a standard fitment. I've had no reversing camera on our 2007 Toyota Innova and thus, I rarely glance over the ones on the Taigun while backing up in my parking slot.

I kept checking the owners manual to finally conclude that there is no trip meter on the digital cockpit. The digital cockpit feels incomplete. They've wasted so much space at the either side of the display. All the service and car status icons could have taken up that space elegantly and left the display with some space to add a trip counter which is far more intuitive than the way they've chosen to display that bit of info. I don't want to shift focus on the ICE and check the vehicle status.

For the way I've been built, with short arms and all, I find navigating the ICE to be a task. Same for the horn pad. I'm used to not taking off my fingers from the horn pad on the Innova and I crave for that experience here as well. The buttons to navigate the digital cockpit are also bleh. Purely in terms of how they're arranged and the functions they cater to, the implementation could have been better. I wish they had a call accept/reject button on the steering wheel.

The cruise control placement however, I love it. Again, operating it isn't as intuitive to me, but I like the controls placed on the steering wheel rather than on the headlight stalk. The auto dimming rear view mirror is such a nice feature to use.

I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out how to use the TPMS. Let's just leave it at that.



Touchpoints:
In car: For the amount of money they've charged, I wish they gave good arm rest padding on the door. The mirror adjustment controls feel flimsy. I couldn't figure out how to fold the ORVMs when I'm at a traffic signal and want to let a biker pass. I was convinced that this doesn't work on my car and it is broken, although again, after a quick chat with bhpian thisissoumya, I discovered that I had to twist the knob 180degs to fold them. I feel I'll break the knob sooner than it's supposed to give up.

The one touch driver window down operation feels faulty to me. I touch the button to roll the driver window and intervene when it's rolled to the desired state, and when I want to roll it up, it keeps rolling down till the system realizes that I've been wanting to roll it up.

I've rarely noticed the blanks flanking on either side of the hazard indicator switch. I frequently use the ventilated seats yet somehow, I haven't found the blanks to be an eyesore.

The touch controls are very sensitive to touch and prone to reacting to accidental inputs. And it is such a chore and a hazard to operate them cuz I have to keep taking my eyes off the road to adjust the air flow.

On the roof liner, they could have just gone ahead and added a sunglass holder. Not that I notice it during the drive, but it kinda bothers me before and after the drive while operating the sunroof. The buttons to illuminate the cabin were pathetic and this was something I made peace with when I decided that I would ditch my Polo booking in favour of the Taigun.

Outside car:
I've no clue why they've given a boot release button on the key fob. When the car is locked and it senses my presence, pressing on the boot release on the door opens the boot while the car is still locked. I thought this must be a fault so I shut the boot, kept the key fob outside of the cars range and then tried to open the boot. To my relief, it remained locked. Ever since, I think of this as a feature than a fault.

The request sensors on both sides of the front doors are a nice touch. For the first time, my hands have been full with objects that aren't my car keys and yet, I've been able to enter the car.

Expectations:
I'd want to get rid of the 80km warning chime. I would also love to increase the count of touch turn signals from 3 to 5. I wish there was a way to reprogram that blank button on the driver to do something. And I wish that button could be programmed to horn or bring back Severus Snape, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

From the time I thought I should get a car, to the time I went ahead and booked one, I always knew it had to be a VW Polo. I never checked any other car on the market. Cars owned by my friends from the Hyundai stable didn't inspire me as much. So I've cocooned myself from the features that are standard equipment on the cars that are from this segment. I'm happy with the equipment that came with this car. Heck, I was happy with what VW is offering on the HL+ AT as well.

A safe drive with comfortable journeys was something I wanted for my mom and me and the Taigun has kept us happy on that front. It obviously doesn't have the thrill a cruiser ride would have, but given my moms age and my tolerance for a heavy bike plus a pillion rider and a tank bag, and the way our roads are, I'm glad I added a car to the garage.

[Osteon206]

Originally Posted by asmr

Hi TeamBHPians,

Has anyone documented their choices, experience with installing dashcams in their Taigun? I have searched for it here on the forums, but doesn't look like anyone has posted specifically for this car on this topic.

I am planning to get the DDPAI Z40 GPS for my Taigun. Not planning for a hardwired fuse-tap or a reverse cam as of now. Any thoughts, guidance from the experts/Taigun owners who have installed dashcams in their vehicles on this?

This will be helpful. I initially thought of fitting my existing bluskysea B1w dashcam in a cousin's car and getting the blaupunkt available at VW, but that was quite expensive and looked very bulky, so for now thought of using my dashcam itself. When I went to the showroom/service station to get the number plate fitted, i requested them to get the wiring into the trim and dashboard panels in a way that I can use the 12V socket in front of the gear lever as the power source, but their electrician and chief mechanic told its not possible since it's a single panel dashboard and that the trim over the A pillar cannot be disassembled.

Following this I visited my go to car accessory guy at Mysore, one Mr. Gurumurthy who owns this place called Car cosmetics near Bamboo Bazar, Bannimantap. He was the one who had done the same work on my Nios earlier. He routed the wire into the gear boot, then removed the glove box lid, routed the wire behind the dashboard on the front passenger side, here using plastic tags he secured the wire at two places, then got the wire into the trim panel on the frame adjacent to the door sill, then upwards and into the A pillar trim, and finally into the roof liner. I was busy helping him out and failed to take pics of the work, but will attach how it looks now.

He did this by making a loop on one end of a stiff steel wire of about 3mm thickness and securing the USB type B end to the loop, then he passed the wire through crevices and pulled through the wire across the dashboard and various trim panels. Itvwas very much like the suture/wire passer we orthopaedicians use in some surgeries.

But then there still is a small issue. The power to the 12V socket remains switched ON even when the car is not running and the car is locked. So for now I have to remember to disconnect the power supply after every drive, so I'm going to request VW service to make modifications to disconnect the power supply once the engine is shut.

Second problem is that everytime the power supply is removed, the date and time of my dashcam has to be reset. This was solved with connecting via WiFi; now the date and time get adjusted to that of the phone, but the wireless Android Auto keeps disconnecting ever since connecting to the dashcam. So now I've disabled date and time stamp on the dashcam settings and removed the WiFi network of the dashcam from the phone.

Found an alternative for this issue - We can use the onboard apps like sygic for navigation and Gaana for music, and connect the phone through Bluetooth for calls and use the mobile hotspot to provide WiFi for the ICE, but this option drains battery on the mobile like crazy. So I'm planning to get a WiFi dongle for the car alone. Will update how that goes later.

Attaching pics of how the dashcam looks now in our Taigun.

P.S.: I did not want to hardwire the dashcam since even VW doesn't hardwire the blaupunkt dashcam available as part of their accesories.

[throttleflick]

Originally Posted by PRS7

My new VW Taigun

Congrats PRS7! Looks amazing in that color.

Originally Posted by Osteon206

This will be helpful. I initially thought of fitting my existing bluskysea B1w dashcam in a cousin's car and getting the blaupunkt available at VW, but that was quite expensive and looked very bulky, so for now thought of using my dashcam itself.

This is indeed helpful for me as well. I asked about the Blaupunkt dashcam available at my dealer and he said he doesn't recommend a 2 year old system to anyone anymore. It is better to look at other options in the market.

When I got the roof wrapped, the vendor appointed by the dealer to do the job did remove the trim pieces on the A pillar to be able to remove the headliner.

Originally Posted by Osteon206

Second problem is that everytime the power supply is removed, the date and time of my dashcam has to be reset. This was solved with connecting via WiFi; now the date and time get adjusted to that of the phone, but the wireless Android Auto keeps disconnecting ever since connecting to the dashcam. So now I've disabled date and time stamp on the dashcam settings and removed the WiFi network of the dashcam from the phone.

Do you know if any other dashcams don't reset the date and time?
Can you also attach pictures from the dashcam to understand the quality as well? How well does it perform during the night?

Thanks!

[darthvader5000]

Evening Gentlemen,

Have finally booked the Taigun Carbon Black MT today. Being a Polo owner, my heart ( and the wife's) just wouldn't settle for the KIA/ MGs et al. (no offense to owners of those). Delivery could be 02-03 weeks. However, need some advice here.

Am still tempted to change the booking to AT, since I have test driven just the 1.0 lit AT and found it like a Cheetah, waiting to spring ! Would some gent please help me with the pros and cos between the MT & AT (Highline only) since am not too much of a fan of the frills being provided in the name of a topline in the 1.0 lit segment.

Also I do recollect that way back in 2013 when I had picked up the Polo TDi, there was someone who had posted in the Polo thread, how to decipher the VIN on the windshield for the month& year of manufacture. Would someone also kindly re post the same or it's upgraded version for VW today?

PS : Is it worth taking the 9.9K worth accessory kit being provided which essentially has just the mud flaps, mats and rear screens worth talking about. The dealership claims that the same accessories aren't available in stock to be sold separately. So, are these available outside in New Delhi, good quality ones obviously? And any other frills which I am missing out, suggestions for the same would be most welcome.

[abhiram.]

Originally Posted by darthvader5000

Evening Gentlemen,

Have finally booked the Taigun Carbon Black MT today. Being a Polo owner, my heart ( and the wife's) just wouldn't settle for the KIA/ MGs et al. (no offense to owners of those). Delivery could be 02-03 weeks. However, need some advice here.

Am still tempted to change the booking to AT, since I have test driven just the 1.0 lit AT and found it like a Cheetah, waiting to spring ! Would some gent please help me with the pros and cos between the MT & AT (Highline only) since am not too much of a fan of the frills being provided in the name of a topline in the 1.0 lit segment.

Also I do recollect that way back in 2013 when I had picked up the Polo TDi, there was someone who had posted in the Polo thread, how to decipher the VIN on the windshield for the month& year of manufacture. Would someone also kindly re post the same or it's upgraded version for VW today?

PS : Is it worth taking the 9.9K worth accessory kit being provided which essentially has just the mud flaps, mats and rear screens worth talking about. The dealership claims that the same accessories aren't available in stock to be sold separately. So, are these available outside in New Delhi, good quality ones obviously? And any other frills which I am missing out, suggestions for the same would be most welcome.

Would recommend 100% going for the AT, if budget is not a constraint. Biggest reason would be the comfort that an AT gearbox provides. You can trust the car to choose the best gear most of the time. And of-course it is an absolute life saver in bumper to bumper traffic in metros.

Given the 1.0 comes with a TC gearbox AND paddle shifters - You would get peace of mind in terms of gearbox (Unlike DSG) and you'll still get to be more involved, just like a MT.